1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the invention of dispensing a solid product with a diluent, and more particularly to a method and apparatus of controlling the dispensing rate when the diluent changes temperature.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Dispensers that utilize a diluent to erode a product, such as a sanitizer or detergent, are well known. The product being dispensed is typically a solid product and can take the form of either a solid block of chemicals, pellets or a cast product. One example of such a dispenser is found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,826,661 by Copeland et al. This patent discloses a solid block chemical dispenser for cleaning systems. The dispenser includes a spray nozzle for directing a uniform dissolving spray on to a surface of a solid block of cleaning composition. The nozzle sprays on the exposed surface of the solid block, dissolving a portion of the block and forming a use solution. This is just one example of a dispenser that uses a diluent and further just one example of the type of products that may be dispensed. It is recognized that there are many different dispensers which utilize diluents to erode and dispense a portion of a product, which may also have any number of forms.
With certain products that are dispensed, it is desired to keep the concentration of the use solution within a certain range. However, when the temperature of the diluent, typically water, increases, the amount of erosion on the solid increases, thereby increasing the concentration of the use solution. This is particularly common with certain sanitizers, such as those containing quaternary salts, sold by the assignee of the present application, Ecolab Inc., of St. Paul, Minn. and Kay Chemical. However, the present invention is useful with other chemicals that may erode at different rates, depending on the temperature of the diluent being sprayed on the chemical.
The present invention addresses the problems associated with the prior art dispensers and provides for a method and apparatus for controlling the dispensing rate of a solid product with changing temperature of a diluent.